Transaction cards, such as credit and debit cards, have increasingly become a primary means for customers to complete financial transactions. Typically, transaction cards are cast out of a plastic material as a single piece. For example, a typical credit card may be manufactured out of plastic such as polycarbonate (PC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) using an injection molding process. The plastic card may then be modified to add functional and/or visual features. For example, a magnetic strip may be affixed to one side, the card may be stamped with the card number and customer name, and color or a design may be added for appearance.
But many transaction card providers are moving away from using magnetic strip technology and now additionally or alternatively include more advanced transaction components attached to or embedded within a transaction card. For example, some transaction cards now include microchips (e.g., microchips based on the Europay, MasterCard, and Visa standard, also called “EMV chips”) that more securely and efficiently manage card and customer information. Some cards now include near field communication (NFC) and/or radio-frequency identification (RFID) components that can wirelessly communicate with outside devices (e.g., a point of sale device, mobile device, etc.). While these types of technology provide several advantages to customers, the conventional, one-piece transaction card construction may not be ideal for providing them in a transaction card.
For example, in order to accommodate more recent technology in a traditional single-piece card, the card must be milled to create space for an transaction component (e.g., an EMV chip) and/or the plastic material may be cast around an transaction component (e.g., an NFC antenna) during the manufacturing process. These processes, however, limit the transaction cards to being used with that particular transaction component. In other words, a conventional, one-piece transaction card is not configured to adapt to multiple types of transaction components. For example, if a transaction card is milled to include a space for an EMV chip, the card is limited to microchips that fit in that space. Similarly, if card material is cast around an NFC antenna, the NFC antenna cannot be removed without destroying the transaction card.
Conventional transaction cards suffer from additional drawbacks. For example, typical materials used to manufacture the cards (e.g., PC and PVC plastic) result in transaction cards that are not very durable, are prone to scratches, wear, and becoming dirty or stained, and lack any ergonomic features and/or textural feel. In general, one-piece constructions limit the sophistication and potential utility of a transaction card by effectively removing the potential for customization and interchangeability.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems associated with conventional transaction card constructions.